


gonna take some time to do the things we never had

by The_FlamingTiger



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22736311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_FlamingTiger/pseuds/The_FlamingTiger
Summary: Besides, the one who was truly unreachable was exactly the one who she had planned to give the gift to. Winter Schnee. Some saw in her coldness and harshness and skepticism. She walked through campus unaffected, but never with a snobbish attitude. She followed rules like she was born with them imprinted to her mind.Winter Schnee was her opposite. Or at least, that's how it seemed to be.(Yes, I'm late haha)
Relationships: Robyn Hill/Winter Schnee
Comments: 11
Kudos: 110





	gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Robyn kept her hands in the pocket of her jeans as she walked around the corridors of the University of Atlas. She was glad that the velvety box wasn't as big as others she had seen people put necklaces in before. She knew that it would be a pain to have others see her walking around with it, mainly because of the date. And the fact that she had accidentally acquired a fame as someone who is "unvalentine-able," as the other students had _kindly_ named.

'You reject one or two boys who don't get that you're a lesbian and that's what happens,' Robyn huffed as she thought. Besides, the one who was truly unreachable was exactly the one who she had planned to give the gift to. Winter Schnee. Some saw in her coldness and harshness and skepticism. She walked through campus unaffected, but never with a snobbish attitude. She followed rules like she was born with them imprinted to her mind.

Winter Schnee was her opposite. Or at least, that's how it seemed to be. Robyn had been able to read others flawlessly since she was a kid. Being from the Mantle neighborhood- the least prestigious area of Atlas-, she grew up having to know who to trust. And ever since it got to her ears that a white haired beauty with tongue sharper than a dagger and posture straighter than the of of a queen, she had to see for herself.

It didn't take long after she started observing Winter whenever she saw her in the cafeteria or in the corridors to draw a conclusion. Behind her silent and cold demeanor there was a repressed rebel. A rebel which was overshadowed by the admiration she seemed to hold for Headmaster- and General- Ironwood.

At first, Robyn had thought it was a shame that someone who seemed to know how to use their voice would repress it this way. That was until a inter class project came. Students from the last year were assigned with ones from the second, while the third and fourth years went with the freshmen. It was supposed to help the younger students acquire skills that might be useful in their last years, and it was actually one of the good things about the Law course.

She and Winter were partners in the project.

Robyn learned a lot of things that her attentive eyes didn't catch while analyzing Winter. She got to finally understand what was behind the younger woman's admiration for Ironwood. Apparently, he was the one who gave her an opportunity to get away from her father. Winter told her that with no hesitation when Robyn asked why she lived in the dorms instead of going to her luxurious manor- which was only a few minutes away from the university.

 _"I wanted to escape,"_ she remembered Winter telling her. _"My father wanted me to study Administering and become his perfect heiress. That was not what I desired. So the Headmaster offered me a place to be. A place where I could actually have what I wanted."_

 _"And do you think you have it?"_ Robyn had asked and watched as Winter looked at the papers on her desk. She frowned, seeming to consider the question and how she could answer it. Robyn hadn't wanted to assume anything at, but she couldn't stop her mind from concluding that Winter wasn't used to have her thoughts taken in consideration.

_"In a way, yes."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I have been wondering if the freedom I supposedly acquired is real,"_ Winter smiled mirthlessly, _"or if it's only an illusion that I like to believe in to be able to sleep peacefully through the night."_

Robyn was speechless after that, uncharacteristically unsure of what to say. She had always been sure of what she wanted, and always stayed true to her convictions. Although she was able to feel empathy toward Winter, she couldn't lie and tell her that she understood. She couldn't place a hand on her shoulder and say that it would be okay. Because that was something that she was not sure of herself.

After that day, there was a bit of awkwardness between them. One thing Robyn had been able to read correctly was that she wasn't fond of letting people know her struggles. But Robyn _wanted_ to know them. She wanted to know her. She found herself wanting to get to know Winter Schnee better. Get to see through her walls, get to see how she was when she wasn't repressing herself.

 _"Why do you do that?"_ Robyn had asked two weeks after, when Winter had gone over to her apartment so they could work on their project. It wasn't a big place, but it was enough for her to share with her three high school best friends: Fiona, Joanna and May. Their study was much less tidy than Winter's, being shared by four people. Robyn had apologized for the mess, but Winter had- surprisingly- said that she didn't mind.

_"Do what?"_

_"Why do you repress your wishes and your struggles? You said that you have been feeling as though you're not free. Why don't you just... take the reigns?"_

_"Because my personal feelings do not matter,"_ Winter had answered. _"There are more expectations on my success than you could begin to imagine, Ms. Hill. Expectations of others and of my own."_

_"Didn't you get away from your father exactly to leave that kind of thing behind?"_

Winter narrowed her eyes at her, frowning. _"I believe we should go back to your project."_

Robyn had wanted to protest, but Winter's eyes had already turned their focus to the pages. Besides the awkwardness, there was also tension this time. Winter seemed to avoid eye contact and whenever they met, instead of the initial small talk, she only talked about the work. Whenever Robyn tried making advances on something less professional, she was immediately cut off.

She wouldn't lie and say it didn't hurt. It did, and a lot. She couldn't explain why, but every time she saw Winter around the campus, her chest felt as though she had been stabbed. It didn't help that some times, when Winter was talking to Penny Polendina- apparently, her best friend-, her eyes traveled to Robyn. And her gaze seemed to linger and there was an emotion in them that Robyn was unable to read.

A thing between admiration and something else. Another thing about Winter Schnee that she was unsure of.

Another two weeks had passed and there was a break for the holidays. Winter took some of the time to visit her younger sister, who apparently was arranging her things to move to Vale. Robyn had just stayed and worked on her part of the project. She didn't celebrate the holidays, believing that the Gods from the tales had abandoned their creations because they arrogant and cruel. 

She was always amused when people asked her about it and when she answered, they said she would be banned from after life. Winter hadn't told her that, though. She- although having different beliefs- had told Robyn that she respected her point of view. Another unexpected- but certainly, not unpleasant- fact about Winter Schnee.

Another thing that happened during the break was a rally against the Schnee Mining Company's questionable practices. And also against the government's neglectful attitude toward Mantle and other poor neighborhoods. It was eventful in more ways than one. Winter got to lead a group of the protest. It was going quite well until someone from another group threw a rock at a police officer. Then, it was chaos.

The police didn't care that it was only one person. They didn't care that Robyn's group wasn't involved either. It seems they had orders to only wait until something went wrong to start pushing the protesters back.

While they tried to run, Robyn had ended up getting hit in the head and fallen unconscious. Next thing she knew, she was in the hospital. And another surprise was finding Winter Schnee in the chair beside her bed while her friends slept in her room's sofa.

 _"What are you doing here?"_ Robyn had asked, and Winter had understood that it was curiosity and not desire for her to leave. In that moment, she realized that Winter could read her too.

 _"I had just come back when I got the news that you had been injured in the rally,"_ her words were sure, but Robyn noticed the way her voice cracked when she mentioned the injury. _"I was very worried for your health,"_ it was a bashful whisper. Winter's eyes were in her hands. _"The man who started it. The vandal. He works with my father. I know him."_

Robyn's eyes widened and she gasped. _"You mean to say..."_

Winter had nodded, in shame. _"He plotted it. The police knew, too."_ Winter let out a sigh. _"If you wish to not see me again after the pain my father caused you, I completly understand. It was despicable-"_

 _"-and it wasn't you,"_ Robyn had said firmly and put a hand over Winter's, making the other woman look at her in surprise. _"The first mistake one can make regarding others is define them by the actions of one member of their families or kinds. You are_ not him _, Winter. I've never seen you as him, and I won't start seeing you like that now. I don't know what you went through, but what I do know is that you must be as much of a victim as I am."_

_"How-"_

Robyn had smiled sadly. _"I am studying to be a politician, Winter. I must research about big corporations owners. And I've learned some things in the process."_

_"I... see."_

_"The point is: I don't see you as his property. I never have. You're your own person, and that's ow I've always seen you."_

Winter had smiled broadly. After that and until the end of their project, the awkwardness was gone. Winter seemed more relaxed around her, and even let out a swear word once or twice. Robyn was glad to see how Winter unraveled, how she started letting her in. She didn't know if it was selfish, but she had let her heart win and eventually started flirting with Winter.

And Winter flirted back, making another kind of tension settle between them.

Tension that she expected to resolve by doing what she was doing now. As she reached the gardens, where she knew Winter liked to read, Robyn felt her heart speed up. The pulsing increase when she viewed the back of Winter's head. Even when she had her hair down, Robyn could recognize her anywhere.

She walked toward Winter and sat beside her in the grass. Winter was wearing her reading glasses, which made her look unfairly attractive in Robyn's opinion. She started at the other woman for a while, until Winter decided to actually acknowledge her presence. Cerulean eyes inspected her thoroughly and a dark eyebrow rose.

"Jeans and leather jackets are against the dress code, Ms. Hill. You want more to that delinquent status of yours?" Winter asked, causing a chuckle to come from Robyn.

"Do you prefer to see me without them?"

Winter hummed, and then responded. "I think I'd rather see them in my dorm's floor."

Robyn chocked on the air she had just inhaled. Sure, they had been flirting, but Winter had never been this... "Forward, aren't we?"

"You started it, don't blame me when you are the one who doomed herself."

"Fair," Robyn smiled, and then sighed, looking away. Her gaze became distant as she gathered the courage to say the words to Winter.

"What's the matter?" Winter's hands went to her shoulder and she looked into Robyn's eyes. The genuine concern in her voice and the way her eyebrows creased spread a warmth through Robyn's body that she was sure that she hadn't felt before.

"I..." she took the box out of her pocket and showed it to Winter, blushing while looking her in the eyes again. "Would you be my Valentine?"

Winter gasped as she heard the words. Robyn was looking at her with sincerity, and it was clear that this wasn't like high school. This wasn't a "suitor" Jacques wanted for her. This wasn't someone who wanted her name or status. This was someone who genuinely wanted to be with her. Who was caring and honest and wouldn't be to her what her father was to her mother.

This was Robyn.

"Yes," she answered, catching something at her side. It was wrapped in silver and green, and Robyn gaped. "But only if you would be mine."

Robyn grinned and, overwhelmed by the emotions, she put the box aside and cupped Winter's cheeks and kissed her. Winter was quick to respond, wrapping her arms around Robyn's neck while still holding the gift. They stayed like that for some minutes, enjoying each other. When they pulled away, their foreheads remained touching.

They silently decided to open their gifts, Winter's head resting on Robyn's shoulder. Robyn was the first to get a look at what hers was. A hardcover book written by Ghira Belladonna- the Faunus diplomat and a doctor in Philosophy- about the history of Remnant's politics and the relationship between multiple ideologies and systematic racial oppression. Robyn had mentioned she wanted it a while back, and she was surprised that Winter remembered.

"Wow," she was taken from her bewilderment and admiration by Winter's voice. The white haired woman's eyes shined as she looked at the silver necklace, the ruby pendant in her hand. There were sapphires around it, contrastingwith the dark red. "It is beautiful..."

"Red is your favorite color, right?" Robyn said and kissed her temple. Winter nodded and smiled at her.

"Put it on for me?"

"Sure," Robyn said and took the necklace in her hands. Winter moved so her back was turned to Robyn, and then pulled her hair to the side. She gasped when the cold chain touched her skin. Then, she closed her eyes and sighed when Robyn kissed her neck and hugged her from behind, pulling her into her lap. "Y'know... rubies are symbol of wisdom, health and wealth, as well as offering safety and peace," then, she whispered. "And they also guarantee success in love. Which seems to have worked for both of us today."

Winter chuckled and kissed her jaw, laying her head on Robyn's shoulder. "What about sapphires?"

"Who knows?" Robyn shrugged, and Winter chuckled again.

"Dork," she said, and then brought Robyn in for another kiss.

There were many things Robyn didn't know and that she was unsure of- about Winter, and about the world, and even about herself. But if there was one thing she knew for sure was that she wouldn't let go of this love.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed it! Please leave a comment so I can know your thoughts! ^-^


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